Monday, August 30, 2010
BIKE!
EVERYBODY! I finally got a bike! I purchased a Kid bike for 45 euro which is the cheapest you'll find (unless you get it off a junkie off the street). Then the lock was 25 so all together not a bad deal.. We took our first real bike ride to the gym today which was exciting. After some INTENSE kickboxing we biked home - so maybe I'll do the opposite of what is expected and stay fit while studying abroad? We are biking in the country side by the windmills this Friday which will be quite an adventure. Do you like?
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Happy Birthday Papa Rain!
Happy Birthday Dad!!! Sorry I couldn’t be hanging with you on the boat today and be your second mate but hopefully Mom did at least something to help you out. I’m bummed I missed out on the ice cream cake. It’s been a super long week and it’s just ending! We had orientation all week and each day consisted of different activities within our groups. Tuesday, the first day of orientation was absolutely POINTLESS. We arrived at 9:30, which is the time we were told, and we stood around in a big mob for about 2 hours before we moved upstairs into our group. Another thing we have all learned about the Dutch: their organizational skills SUCK. Anyway… we were all put into small groups and none of the Loyola kids were together probably on purpose. However, that didn’t stop me from finding someone close to home. One guy in my group, Danny, is 24 and going to a semester of Law School in Amsterdam (yes… law in Amsterdam). Where did he grow up? Great Neck, NY. For those of you who don’t know me, that happens to be the town next to me. Bizarre. I also became friends with this girl Frankie from Australia, who at first I couldn’t help but think of Summer Heights High when I heard her talk, but I’m used to her Australian accent now and she’s started to call me ‘Rain’ because I told her about my various nicknames. Out of: Toria, Toe, Vic, Vrain, Rain, Toey, etc. ‘Rain’ was the winner.
Wednesday morning ISN took us on a city walk. First stop: Red Light District. We walked through this really narrow alley and even though it was only noon, there were still people in their windows. We got a few grunts about getting the tourists away, but overall it was a cultural experience. Here are a few pictures of the things we encountered on our walk:
Thursday was sports day! We all met at a gym that was in Guam. What was meant to be an easy trip ended up taking about an hour and a half in the lovely rainy Amsterdam weather. We finally made it. Kristina and I started out with some soccer and then Mara, Kristina, Lucy from Italy and myself did a spinning class next. What a workout!! Friday we went to the zoo in preparation for our Animal themed party that night. I took one too many pictures of animals at the zoo, but here are some precious animals I thought stood out:
Animal party!!! So the final party after orientation was at this club called Panama. It was BUMPIN. A bunch of us dressed up with animal print shirts or dresses and tried to go along with the theme as much as possible. Although… when we got there, less people dressed up than I had hoped, but I still embraced it. At the end of the night after dancing the night away with Americans, Australians, Spaniards, Germans, and more, my friend Carly and I hopped on some nice fellows bikes and they gave us a cycle to Central Station and we caught a cab from there.
I took my first solo pic with the I Amsterdam sign… I am a tourist after all. Classes start tomorrow, and although I have no classes Monday, it will be nice to finally start a routine. We looked into joining a gym today…surprising right? In addition to a lot of walking around, we’ve booked some trips! So far, Oktoberfest and Prague are all booked. Trips to come: biking in the countryside in Holland and skydiving in Switzerland!! Hopefully I’ll be making my first freefall in about three weeks. To all my followers, I miss you! Alexandra Metter is making her way to Europe tomorrow so everyone please say a little prayer for her that she makes it through the first week. Don’t forget underwear!! Michaela – Happy Birthday tomorrow!!!
Wednesday morning ISN took us on a city walk. First stop: Red Light District. We walked through this really narrow alley and even though it was only noon, there were still people in their windows. We got a few grunts about getting the tourists away, but overall it was a cultural experience. Here are a few pictures of the things we encountered on our walk:
Thursday was sports day! We all met at a gym that was in Guam. What was meant to be an easy trip ended up taking about an hour and a half in the lovely rainy Amsterdam weather. We finally made it. Kristina and I started out with some soccer and then Mara, Kristina, Lucy from Italy and myself did a spinning class next. What a workout!! Friday we went to the zoo in preparation for our Animal themed party that night. I took one too many pictures of animals at the zoo, but here are some precious animals I thought stood out:
Animal party!!! So the final party after orientation was at this club called Panama. It was BUMPIN. A bunch of us dressed up with animal print shirts or dresses and tried to go along with the theme as much as possible. Although… when we got there, less people dressed up than I had hoped, but I still embraced it. At the end of the night after dancing the night away with Americans, Australians, Spaniards, Germans, and more, my friend Carly and I hopped on some nice fellows bikes and they gave us a cycle to Central Station and we caught a cab from there.
I took my first solo pic with the I Amsterdam sign… I am a tourist after all. Classes start tomorrow, and although I have no classes Monday, it will be nice to finally start a routine. We looked into joining a gym today…surprising right? In addition to a lot of walking around, we’ve booked some trips! So far, Oktoberfest and Prague are all booked. Trips to come: biking in the countryside in Holland and skydiving in Switzerland!! Hopefully I’ll be making my first freefall in about three weeks. To all my followers, I miss you! Alexandra Metter is making her way to Europe tomorrow so everyone please say a little prayer for her that she makes it through the first week. Don’t forget underwear!! Michaela – Happy Birthday tomorrow!!!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Land of the Free
So today is August 23rd which marks the date of exactly FOUR months to come of my study abroad adventure. So far this long weekend has been pretty busy. We've been going out at night in Leidsplein, which is a popular place with a lot of bars, pubs, and clubs. On Friday, a bunch of us went to 'Sail Amsterdam 2010.' It only happens every five years so it was awesome that we were there to experience it. Pretty much, there are THOUSANDS of boats in the Amsterdam harbor and there are a bunch of activities for four or five days. Although we didn't make it to the fireworks, they happened every night at 10 pm. There were some massive boats. I couldn't help but think how much my dad and sister would have absolutely loved this.
Friday night involved some bar hopping. Apparently people don't like to stay in the same place for more than 20 minutes... We make a frequent appearance at the "Sports Cafe" where you can buy either 10 shots of Jager or some fruity liquor for 10 Euro. The fruity liquor tastes more like cough syrup but apparently some of my friends actually enjoy that taste. Here's a picture of a few of the kids from the Loyola crowd.
Saturday we ventured to Ikea to get a few things to spice up the room. After picking out a very cheap rug for my room, I saw a little boy circa 5 years old pick out the same rug. Yes... I purchased a racecar rug. Here is it on my floor.
On Saturday night we went to this bumpinnn club called Melkweg. It's set up like a concert arena but on Saturday nights, they are filled with DJ's. It was super fun and we all danced the night away. Some people thought it was clever to 'ice' someone in the middle of the club, so that was entertaining.
Today, we had our orientation at HES. Amsterdam could not have chosen a better time to be itself and downpour on our 35 minute journey to our school building. Although it was a pain, it was really quite humorous. My jeans ended up looking like leather pants and we were freezing for the entire day because it took a while for our clothes to dry. The orientation was somewhat helpful, but pretty much informed me on things I already knew. The rest of the week is the ISN program where we are all split up into small groups and show us the city of Amsterdam. There are about 200 international students so we are all put in different groups so we can mingle with students from all over. Apparently they take us to museums, bars, etc. But for the most part it's a surprise!
Things I observed on the tour of HES:
1) A man smoking IN the library
2) A library stocked with about 300 books at the most
3) A school snack bar that serves beer and wine after 3pm.
Would this ever happen at Loyola?
Friday night involved some bar hopping. Apparently people don't like to stay in the same place for more than 20 minutes... We make a frequent appearance at the "Sports Cafe" where you can buy either 10 shots of Jager or some fruity liquor for 10 Euro. The fruity liquor tastes more like cough syrup but apparently some of my friends actually enjoy that taste. Here's a picture of a few of the kids from the Loyola crowd.
Saturday we ventured to Ikea to get a few things to spice up the room. After picking out a very cheap rug for my room, I saw a little boy circa 5 years old pick out the same rug. Yes... I purchased a racecar rug. Here is it on my floor.
On Saturday night we went to this bumpinnn club called Melkweg. It's set up like a concert arena but on Saturday nights, they are filled with DJ's. It was super fun and we all danced the night away. Some people thought it was clever to 'ice' someone in the middle of the club, so that was entertaining.
Today, we had our orientation at HES. Amsterdam could not have chosen a better time to be itself and downpour on our 35 minute journey to our school building. Although it was a pain, it was really quite humorous. My jeans ended up looking like leather pants and we were freezing for the entire day because it took a while for our clothes to dry. The orientation was somewhat helpful, but pretty much informed me on things I already knew. The rest of the week is the ISN program where we are all split up into small groups and show us the city of Amsterdam. There are about 200 international students so we are all put in different groups so we can mingle with students from all over. Apparently they take us to museums, bars, etc. But for the most part it's a surprise!
Things I observed on the tour of HES:
1) A man smoking IN the library
2) A library stocked with about 300 books at the most
3) A school snack bar that serves beer and wine after 3pm.
Would this ever happen at Loyola?
Thursday, August 19, 2010
back to the land of pleins and straats
I'm back in Amsterdam and am finally all unpacked and settled in for the most part. This past week, Jaclyn and I continued our truly cultural Italian experience by touring around Genoa, stopping in Cannes, France for the weekend, and spending two days in Tuscany. (Yes. We were spoiled.)
We took a long walk around the city with one of the cousins, Christina, and her daughter, Eleonora. A lot of steep narrow streets and hopefully toning of my legs and butt led us to a beautiful view of the sea and Portofino in the distance.
If we were alone, there is no way we would have found any of the places we went to. The blue building in the distance of this picture is one of the most popular bars in Genoa and you can only get to it by walking on the rocks. The view, as everywhere in Genoa, was breathtaking.
Cannes! Unfortunately it was raining on our first day in Cannes, but we were able to walk around the city and see the touristy spots. We took this lovely photo on the red carpet at the Palace of Festivals. For those of you who are culturally aware, watch Entourage, or have heard of the Cannes Film Festival, this is the place where all of the films are viewed. We went to the beach the next day and I gained back some of the tan I lost from sitting in an office this summer. Everywhere in France they sell these gladiator sandals called Les Tropeziennes, so... I had to buy a pair. My first real purchase of the trip, but they were so worth it Mom!!
Our last stop was Tuscany. We ate like Kings. Our last big lunch consisted of about 8 different appetizer plates, ravioli, a meat dish, lemon sorbeto and a coffee, of course. However, the coffee cups are the size of my thumb and it’s filled with espresso so it’s much different than New York coffee. The Italians also have a tendency put a HEFTY amount of sugar in something that takes one sip to finish and I’ve seen no sign of Splenda or Equal. Anyway... the country house was nice a quiet. We got to check out their small vineyard and we tasted the homemade red wine that is stored in their cellar. We also walked around a small village and got a nice view from the top of an old castle.
Now it's time to reunite with Loyola and really experience Amsterdam. Amsterdam is an extremely unique place and there are always interesting things to see or watch. Besides the mispronouncing of every dutch word and the probability that the boys in our group will constantly chant "USA" while walking through the streets, I think we'll fit in quite nicely here.
We took a long walk around the city with one of the cousins, Christina, and her daughter, Eleonora. A lot of steep narrow streets and hopefully toning of my legs and butt led us to a beautiful view of the sea and Portofino in the distance.
If we were alone, there is no way we would have found any of the places we went to. The blue building in the distance of this picture is one of the most popular bars in Genoa and you can only get to it by walking on the rocks. The view, as everywhere in Genoa, was breathtaking.
Cannes! Unfortunately it was raining on our first day in Cannes, but we were able to walk around the city and see the touristy spots. We took this lovely photo on the red carpet at the Palace of Festivals. For those of you who are culturally aware, watch Entourage, or have heard of the Cannes Film Festival, this is the place where all of the films are viewed. We went to the beach the next day and I gained back some of the tan I lost from sitting in an office this summer. Everywhere in France they sell these gladiator sandals called Les Tropeziennes, so... I had to buy a pair. My first real purchase of the trip, but they were so worth it Mom!!
Our last stop was Tuscany. We ate like Kings. Our last big lunch consisted of about 8 different appetizer plates, ravioli, a meat dish, lemon sorbeto and a coffee, of course. However, the coffee cups are the size of my thumb and it’s filled with espresso so it’s much different than New York coffee. The Italians also have a tendency put a HEFTY amount of sugar in something that takes one sip to finish and I’ve seen no sign of Splenda or Equal. Anyway... the country house was nice a quiet. We got to check out their small vineyard and we tasted the homemade red wine that is stored in their cellar. We also walked around a small village and got a nice view from the top of an old castle.
Now it's time to reunite with Loyola and really experience Amsterdam. Amsterdam is an extremely unique place and there are always interesting things to see or watch. Besides the mispronouncing of every dutch word and the probability that the boys in our group will constantly chant "USA" while walking through the streets, I think we'll fit in quite nicely here.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Miopin
Ciao! I am currently sitting seaside at a place called "Maa Beach" in Genoa, Italy and it is absolutely beautiful. Jaclyn has cousins here and they have let us stay in their extra flat with a wonderful view of the 'mare' from the balcony.
Today we walked around the city center of Genoa where there are a lot of little narrow streets called 'viccoli' filled with little shops and restaurants. We also walked around the old port that was the main port back in the day. Jaclyn's cousins, Masamiliano, Paolo, and Franceso, were kind enough to let us use one of their parents cars. I was the lucky one who got to drive it. Needless to say, I was a little nervous when I first put the key in the Toyota... but it ended up working out okay. Minus the fact that people drive like maniacs at high speeds and most of the TWO way streets are hardly wide enough to fit one car. Day one in car however was a success and there were no accidents today - knock on wood. The hardest part is driving up the steep hill to where we park for out flat - if there is a car coming the other way, pretty much ".. uh no good." This is me in the car:
Although it has been somewhat hard to communicate, I did add Max as a bbm contact today to keep in touch while he is at work. In order to figure out his pin I had to type 'miopin' on his phone and for some reason I found that hilarious. It's really great to be with natives here because they know everyone and we haven't spent one euro yet!
Friday we go to Cannes, France for the weekend and even though the film festival will not be going on, the beaches are supposed to be gorgeous.
Ciao for now!
Today we walked around the city center of Genoa where there are a lot of little narrow streets called 'viccoli' filled with little shops and restaurants. We also walked around the old port that was the main port back in the day. Jaclyn's cousins, Masamiliano, Paolo, and Franceso, were kind enough to let us use one of their parents cars. I was the lucky one who got to drive it. Needless to say, I was a little nervous when I first put the key in the Toyota... but it ended up working out okay. Minus the fact that people drive like maniacs at high speeds and most of the TWO way streets are hardly wide enough to fit one car. Day one in car however was a success and there were no accidents today - knock on wood. The hardest part is driving up the steep hill to where we park for out flat - if there is a car coming the other way, pretty much ".. uh no good." This is me in the car:
Although it has been somewhat hard to communicate, I did add Max as a bbm contact today to keep in touch while he is at work. In order to figure out his pin I had to type 'miopin' on his phone and for some reason I found that hilarious. It's really great to be with natives here because they know everyone and we haven't spent one euro yet!
Friday we go to Cannes, France for the weekend and even though the film festival will not be going on, the beaches are supposed to be gorgeous.
Ciao for now!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Hallo, Doei - Hello, Goodbye
We made it! Jaclyn and I landed an hour early in Amsterdam after a usual flight filled with bad airplane food and minimal inches of legroom, but who cares - we're in Europe! Looking nothing less than your typical American tourists, we purchased a more legitimate map and decided to tour the main city on our own before we could check in to our hotel. Dutch is an interesting language to say the least but after butchering a few words we were able to find our way to an active part of the city: Leidseplein. The canals are beautiful and Amsterdam has proven to be fascinating so far. The most interesting part is the fact that pedestrians hardly ever have the right of way. Texting while walking is VERY dangerous because if you are not looking up, it is very possible to be in way of either bikers, trams, or cars. Unlike NYC, people don't anticipate the split second they have to 'go for it' and cross the street, people are cautious of which vehicles have the right of way.
In reference to my earlier blog post, I did see the beerbike live in action. From a mile away you can hear loud cheering and soon you see the bike approaching with smiling people happy for attention. I turned to take a picture and they cheered and waved like I was their biggest fan (maybe I was...)
There is lots of shopping! We walked around a main shopping area crowded with people and the Dutch originated company, H&M, popped up every fourth of a mile.
We fly to Genoa tomorrow night for a two week adventure in Italy with some of Jaclyn's family, so this has been such a teaser of Amsterdam. So as my post title, we say "hallo" and goodbye pretty fast, but we'll have plenty of time to continue exploring when we return! For a closing photo, here's a picture of your typical canal.
In reference to my earlier blog post, I did see the beerbike live in action. From a mile away you can hear loud cheering and soon you see the bike approaching with smiling people happy for attention. I turned to take a picture and they cheered and waved like I was their biggest fan (maybe I was...)
There is lots of shopping! We walked around a main shopping area crowded with people and the Dutch originated company, H&M, popped up every fourth of a mile.
We fly to Genoa tomorrow night for a two week adventure in Italy with some of Jaclyn's family, so this has been such a teaser of Amsterdam. So as my post title, we say "hallo" and goodbye pretty fast, but we'll have plenty of time to continue exploring when we return! For a closing photo, here's a picture of your typical canal.
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